by Vivian Wood
“I… did something,” he said, his shoulders hunched. In another situation, his remorse would have been adorable, but right now Charlotte was floored.
“What is Max doing here?” she hissed, stepping close to Noah. She shot a worried glance at Max, who seemed both elated and perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, she knew the latter simply wasn’t true.
“He begged me to bring him to the river for a day. He said he wanted to go one last time, and I couldn’t say no,” Noah said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
“Noah, Max is really, really sick. He can’t just go gallivanting around like this!”
“He’s dying, Charlotte. He told me so himself.”
Charlotte opened her mouth, and then closed it again, glancing at Max.
“He talked to you about his cancer?” she asked.
“Yeah. He’s kind of… resigned about it,” Noah said, looking uncomfortable. “I asked him if I could do something for him, and I meant like… get him some new Xbox games or a pizza… This is what he asked for.”
“And you called me in to do damage control? I could lose my job for this, Noah.”
Noah winced, looking chagrined.
“I’m sorry. I just… I can’t take him by myself. If something happens… I don’t even know CPR or anything. He brought some of his medications, but I have no idea how they work or…”
Noah left off, heaving a sigh. Charlotte looked at him for a long moment, wavering. In the end, Noah reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her close. He looked down at her, his green-blue eyes blazing, his eyes bright with emotion.
“Please, Charlotte. No one has to know that you came with us. Max won’t say anything. Please.”
The humbleness of his words took her breath away. She’d seen several different sides of Noah: the snob, the jester, the seducer, the intellectual, the jerk. But this, this man who looked at her like his whole world depended on her, this was a facet that she couldn’t spurn.
“Alright,” she said, stiffening when Noah wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. The embrace was over in a heartbeat, and before she knew it Noah was leading her to the car and helping Max into the back seat. Charlotte gulped as she settled in and put on her seat belt, wondering if they were all making a terrible mistake.
49
Nineteen
“You are a fool, Charlotte Krall,” she scolded herself.
One look at Max’s excited expression had toppled Charlotte’s qualms about giving him a “day off”, as they were now calling it. A stop at Target had provided towels, sunscreen, bottled water, snacks, and a pair of trunks for Max. Charlotte gave Noah directions to her favorite quiet swimming hole, less than an hour outside St. Louis proper. Every kid around here grew up swimming in the river, blissfully ignorant of their state’s land-locked status.
The sweet intention behind the day, and Noah’s blossoming friendship with Max, had sealed the deal. How could anyone refuse a sick boy or a gorgeous Berserker male?
Now Charlotte held a hand to her brow, shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun as she stared down the beach, waiting. When she finally spotted an enormous bear and a small panther padding back toward her, she released a long sigh. She’d begged Max not to shift, fearing that he’d use too much of his precious energy, but he’d taken off anyway. Thank goodness Noah had been a good sport, shifting and following Charlotte’s patient. They’d been gone a long time now, and Charlotte had begun to worry that something was terribly wrong.
When Noah and Max finally made it back to the blanket, shifting and shaking sand from their bodies as they reached from their clothes, Charlotte let herself relax a little.
“Okay. I think that’s enough for today, don’t you?” Charlotte asked, handing Max the pile of clothes sitting beside their messy spread of beach towels.
Max sprawled on one end of their blanket pallet, leaving Charlotte and Noah in close quarters on the other end. They’d played in the water, napped, and had a nice late lunch around four. Charlotte kept looking at the time, knowing that she needed to wrap this up and get Max back to his hospital bed. His vibrancy was quickly fading now, though he was doing his best to hide it.
“I’m going in the water one more time,” Max told them.
“Okay. We have to start packing up here soon, buddy,” Noah told Max. Charlotte arched a brow, impressed. She’d assumed that she was going to be here to lay down the law and act as Max’s nanny, but Noah had taken charge completely. On another day, this might have just been a relaxing day. If only, Charlotte kept thinking.
Max ran off and dove into the water, making Charlotte wince with nerves. He surfaced and splashed around, making a big deal of being energetic and happy.
Charlotte gave Noah a knowing look, and he nodded back to her.
“I hate to have to make him leave, but I think he’s going conk out pretty soon,” Noah said.
“Yep. There is absolutely no doubt about it,” Charlotte agreed.
“Thank you for coming with us,” Noah said, snagging her hand in his big one.
“I didn’t have a hell of a lot of choice in the matter,” Charlotte said with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” Noah said. He really did seem contrite, which mollified Charlotte’s anger. Her initial shock and ire had faded as the hours passed. It was impossible to be upset when Max was so happy and Noah was being so sweet and gentlemanly.
Charlotte scooted a little closer to Noah, unable to resist the lure of his warmth and strength. She looked up at him, startled all over again by the handsomeness of his facial features, the taut muscles evidenced beneath his gray flannel shirt and dark jeans. He even wore Converse sneakers, making him look like nothing so much as the to-die-for lead singer of some hot rock band.
Charlotte reached up and brushed his hair back from his forehead, running her thumb along the stubble-laced line of his jaw. She sucked in a soft breath and pressed her lips to his, trying her hardest to keep things light, trying to remember that Max was only twenty yards away.
Noah caught her lower lip between his teeth, giving it a gentle nip, and Charlotte had to hold in a moan of desire. Were they alone, they would unquestionably be halfway nude and doing something much, much less innocent than a little kissing.
Noah pulled back and looked at her.
“I’m sorry for what I said the other night, about family. I was just spouting off,” he said.
Charlotte nodded.
“It’s okay. I mean, not what you said. But people say things, it happens. I should have reacted better.”
“I guess at least we already got our first fight out of the way,” Noah said, giving her a full, dazzling smile. He had the most gorgeous smile, his perfect teeth and lips lighting up his whole face, laugh lines softening his Alpha demeanor.
“First fight, huh?” Charlotte said, giving him a smirk.
“Right. I haven’t had a lot of serious relationships, but I hear that the first fight is an important rite of passage,” Noah intoned.
Before Charlotte could respond, Max trudged up to them. They both turned to the boy, and Charlotte could tell at a glance that he was shaking.
“Max, let’s get you into some warm clothes, okay? I’ll get you a Sprite when we get in the car, get your blood sugar up a little,” Charlotte directed.
She looked over at Noah, seeing the same apprehension she felt mirrored on his face. They worked in perfect unison to get Max dry and comfortable before they started the long drive back to the hospital.
50
Twenty
The perfect, happy bubble of their “day off” popped as soon as they hit the St. Louis city limits. Charlotte was in the back seat of the car with Max, letting him recline in her lap. Max drifted off, exhausted from the day’s exertion, and Charlotte did her best to make him comfortable. She kept catching Noah’s concerned gaze in the rear view mirror, but he didn’t talk much on the drive back.
“I’m going to tell them that Max showed up at my
house,” Charlotte said. Noah turned to look at her for a brief moment before refocusing on the road.
“Okay,” was his only response.
“I’m going to say that I called you to help me convince him to go back to the hospital. Just let me do the talking, or we could both get in a lot of trouble. I’ll take him in alone.”
Noah looked as if he were about to argue, but then he just nodded. Charlotte looked down at Max, thinking to wake him a few minutes before they reached the hospital. She stilled, realizing that his breath seemed very shallow. She gave him a gentle shake.
“Max?” she asked. No response. “Max? Can you wake up, buddy?”
He opened his eyes and gave her a sleepy smile.
“I’m thirsty,” he whispered, his voice thin as a reed.
Charlotte grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, trying not to seem overly worried.
“Not so good,” Max said with a shrug. “I’m glad we went, though. I haven’t shifted in weeks.”
Charlotte hesitated.
“Listen, Max… About today…”
“I can’t tell them that you and Noah took me, right?” Max asked.
“Yeah,” Charlotte said, nodding. “I think it would be considered kidnapping, even though you wanted to go.”
“Adults are dumb,” Max told her, all seriousness.
Charlotte looked up at Noah, finding in his expression the exact same sad humor she felt.
“You’re right. But here’s the hospital now, so let’s you and me get out of the car and I’ll take you upstairs, okay?”
“What about Noah?” Max asked.
“Noah will come up in a little while, after I get you settled in,” Charlotte promised.
“Will you, Noah?” Max asked.
“You bet. I wouldn’t miss it,” Noah said.
Charlotte gave him a brief smile before opening the car door and climbing out, then getting Max out. She gave Noah one last look over her shoulder as she settled Max into a wheelchair. He gave her a solemn wave, looking uncertain.
Charlotte straightened her spine and pushed Max toward the elevators.
“Let’s go see what kind of trouble we’re in, hmm?” she asked Max as they headed upstairs.
51
Twenty One
“You’ve got a visitor,” Connie called as she stepped into Max’s room.
Charlotte pushed upright from her slumped position in the chair next to Max’s bed. She cleared her throat and laid the manila folder with Max’s latest lab results aside.
“He’s still asleep, I’m afraid,” Charlotte told Connie.
“For you, not for Max. Or for both, whatever,” Connie said, waving a hand. She moved back and Noah appeared in the doorway, filling it with his size and bulk.
“Hey, you,” Charlotte said, keeping her words quiet. Noah’s gaze flickered from her to Max and back again, a question. Charlotte stood and made her way over to Noah, drawn to him like a magnet. She held out a hand, seeking comfort, and nearly sighed aloud when he took it.
“Let’s go get a soda,” she suggested, nodding her head at Max. She wanted to talk to Noah about her patient, but not in hearing range.
“Sure. I’m buying,” Noah said. His tone was light, clashing with the darkness in his eyes, and Charlotte gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
They headed over to the vending machines in the deserted family lounge, grabbing a couple of sodas before sitting down in the uncomfortable hospital chairs.
“What’s the news?” Noah asked. “What happened when you guys got back?”
“Connie was running the floor, and she didn’t ask any questions. Just announced that he was back. Dr. Rivers didn’t seem too happy, but he wasn’t about to lecture Max about it. Not after…” Charlotte paused for a second, taking a sip of her soda as she tried to figure out what to say. “Max is a lot more sick than I realized. His labs from yesterday came back while we were gone and… it doesn’t look very good. His white blood cells are almost completely depleted. They may have to move him into an isolation room tonight.”
“That’s why he’s so tired, I guess,” Noah said.
Charlotte nodded.
“Yeah. Poor kid,” she sighed.
“Did we… did we do him more harm than good by taking him out today? I mean, he ate all that junk food and swam in a river…” Noah’s shoulders slumped.
“Honestly, Noah, I don’t know. But you can’t keep a shifter away from nature for this long. If we hadn’t taken him, Max would have run off on his own sooner or later. At least this way he got to have a day of fun and then got back to the hospital in one piece.”
“So… what happens now?”
“We wait. If his immune system recovers, he might turn the corner and start recovering. If it doesn’t, he’ll keep getting worse and worse.”
Charlotte felt an odd detachment as she explained it, as if her nurse side was taking over, telling a grieving relative a diagnosis. Inside, she felt all ripped up, sad beyond compare, but years of medical training kept her composed and cool outside.
Noah, on the other hand, looked miserable. He rubbed a massive hand over his face and through his hair, blowing out an angry breath. He braced his elbows on his knees, hanging his head low.
“This is fucking terrible. How do you do this every day?” he asked. His tone was so harsh that Charlotte nearly drew back, but her experience with people’s reactions to dire illnesses told her that Noah wasn’t upset with her.
“Someone has to do it. Otherwise kids like Max would be all alone,” she explained.
Noah looked up at her then, a thousand unnamed emotions swirling in the azure depths of his eyes. Something stirred deep within Charlotte, a wanting. Lust, yes, but something more, too. Something deeper, darker.
“Do you have a ritual for this part, too?” Noah asked.
Charlotte gave him a soft smile and shook her head.
“Usually I drink some good red wine and go to sleep. But tonight… I’d rather just be with you,” she told him.
“I can’t think of anything I’d like more,” Noah told her, standing and drawing Charlotte to her feet.
After stopping to talk to Connie, asking for a phone call if Max’s condition worsened even slightly, Charlotte turned the tables and led Noah to the elevators and out of the hospital.
52
Twenty Two
The cab ride and the hotel lobby were fleeting moments for Charlotte; all she could focus on was the press of her body against Noah’s in the car, the soft callouses on his palms brushing the bare skin of her arms and wrists. She couldn’t think of the elevator ride when Noah dropped burning kisses along her jaw, couldn’t see the long hallways when he pulled her against the length of his body to feel his hardness, couldn’t think of getting the door open when his nose brushed her ear as he took a long pull of her scent.
When the hotel room door swung shut behind them with a slam, Charlotte turned in Noah’s embrace. Sliding her arms around his shoulders, she reached up on her tiptoes and sought his lips, making her desire as blatant as his. Noah pinned her to the wall, knocking a painting to the floor in his fervor. His hands cupped her ass, lifting and sliding her upward as he pressed into her, supporting her as is she were weightless.
One of Noah’s hands brushed her shoulder and the nape of her neck before his fingers plunged into her hair, pulling her head back, angling her lips to his pleasure as he plundered her mouth. His kiss was desperate and consuming, deep thrusts of his tongue as he ground his hips against hers.
Charlotte groaned into his mouth, arching her back to move her breasts closer to Noah’s enticing heat. She let out a surprised yip when he picked her up and carried her into the hotel’s lavish bathroom, setting her on the marble counter.
Noah turned to the huge tiled shower, enclosed only by two thin pieces of glass, and pressed several buttons on the wall. Steaming water burst forth from several shower heads, and fog began to b
uild in the room instantly.
When Noah turned back to her, the intensity in his expression made Charlotte’s knees weak. She reached for him, eliciting a growl that reverberated throughout the bathroom. Noah made quick work of stripping himself, no seductive dance or teasing. Still, Charlotte felt her pulse quicken and her eyes go wide as she took in every inch of his tanned, muscular body, hard and ready and hungry for her. She bit her lip as her eyes dipped down to the hard, thick length of his cock.
She startled when Noah closed the space between them, grabbing the hem of her dress and yanking it upward, pulling it off in two jerky motions. He removed her bra and panties the same way, his touch so rough that he actually tore her skimpy black boy shorts.
Charlotte couldn’t move, caught under his spell. She stared up at him as he flung her clothes to the side, completely absorbed by the dark, fierce hunger that radiated from Noah’s gaze, threatening to burn them both alive. Charlotte shivered, realizing that a part of her wanted that very, very badly.
When Noah grabbed her hips and picked her up again, pressing his cock against the softness of her belly as he carried her into the shower, Charlotte realized how wet she was for him. He stood her in the middle of the shower, just where three separate jets of water met, and stared down at her for several long, trembling seconds.
“What have you done to me?” Noah asked, his voice little more than a rumble in his chest. His eyes searched her face, examined her bare breasts, but he seemed to be speaking more to himself than to her.
“Noah—” Charlotte began, but then he was kissing her again, his lips parting hers, his tongue delving to meet her own in a sweet, hard rhythm that was uniquely Noah’s. Hot water spilled over them both, making every tiny contact infinitely more pleasurable.
